Loki's First Christmas
by CreativeReading
Summary: Loki celebrates his first Christmas with Darcy's family.


**Loki's First Christmas**

**Author's Note**- I own nothing from Marvel.

* * *

On the morning after returning from their Thanksgiving trip, Loki was woken up by Darcy's IPOD blaring a song through tiny stereos.

"What is that infernal racket?" Loki demanded. Darcy's taste in music was one of their few constant points of contention.

"Christmas music," she replied, smiling down at her grumpy husband as she stood next to their bed. She was already dressed and ready for the day. Loki, on the other hand, was not a morning person.

"Christmas, what's Christmas?" he replied groggily.

"It's the holiday after Thanksgiving, only the best holiday of the year."

"Another holiday? My dear, we just got back from Midgard, " Loki sat up in bed and ran a hand through his hair. His stomach was still full to bursting from the feast the day before.

"No worries. It's not for another month. Until then, it's customary to listen to Christmas music non-stop during all waking hours." Darcy knew that she was taking advantage of Loki's ignorance of Earth customs, but seeing her family at Thanksgiving had made her more than a little homesick and she needed something familiar.

Loki winced. Four weeks of Midgardian music during all waking hours. He could think of no worse fate.

000000

Although, truth be told, incessant Christmas melodies were the least of Loki's problems. One of Loki's many duties, now that he was fully reinstated as a Prince of Asgard, was foreign relations. Loki was always more savvy than Thor when it came to delicate diplomatic relations. Unfortunately, for Loki, that meant dealing with the Jotuns.

Their political system was in a precarious place. The instability was caused in no small way by Loki's murder of Laufry, their king and Loki's biological father. So, it fell to Loki, on Asgard's behalf, to try to help smooth over the rocky transition.

When Odin had initially ordered him to Jotunheim, he had tried to resist and the arguments between them had been epic. Both Darcy and Frigga had to split them apart on more than one occasion. In the end, Odin had prevailed, pointing out that Loki had caused the devastation on Jotunheim, so it fell to him to make amends.

Loki struggled with the weight of what he had done once he began visiting the Frost Giant realm with some regularity. He had never considered the amount of damage that the Bifrost had done to Jotunheim, the numbers of lives lost. For, despite the stories he had heard when he was younger, not all the Frost Giants were bloodthirsty warriors. There were women and children, hunters and fishermen.

At Darcy's insistence, he began to take her on these trips, but he was more than a little ashamed. She already knew what he had done on Midgard, but, at least, that had had a purpose, an invasion, a throne of his own. His attack on the Jotun seemed almost childish by comparison, a boy's cry for approval from his father.

The first time Darcy accompanied him to the Frost Giant realm, he was shocked by her reaction. Instead of fear and disgust at the desolate, frozen wasteland, she grinned.

"It's a winter wonderland," she declared.

Loki grimaced, "I've heard Jotunheim be called many things, but never a wonderland."

"It's part of the Christmas spirit. Growing up in southern California, I never got any snow for the holidays. This is magical."

"You always manage to find the bright side of things."

"It's part of my charm," she replied and she snuggled closer to Loki to ward off the cold.

"That it is." Loki smiled and he bent down to kiss his wife.

"Am I interrupting anything?" The Frost Giant envoy asked tartly as he came into view.

"Not at all," Loki replied smoothly. With Darcy by his side, he was ready for anything.

As Loki looked down on his wife, he found it ironic that Thor had married a woman from a planet that he had saved, while Loki had married a woman from a planet he had tried to conquer. It was a testament to Darcy's ability to forgive.

Perhaps, he thought, he could learn how to forgive himself for all that he had done.

00000

Loki somehow survived through four weeks of Christmas music. Like most things, it involved a great deal of compromise on both their parts. Marrying someone from another realm sometimes made life challenging for both spouses.

So, to keep the peace, Darcy agreed to wear headphones to listen to her music during the day, while at night, her music would play while she decorated their bedchambers as best she could, favoring green over red in deference to Loki's tastes. She even scrounged up an evergreen tree. She had read enough Norse mythology to not even think to ask Loki about mistletoe, although she missed having it.

And Loki wouldn't admit it, but after a few weeks, he was actually becoming rather fond of the constant music in their bed chambers. However, he noticed that the songs were not all cheery and bright. Some had a sad, almost wistful tone.

When he asked Darcy about it, she sighed and gave him a small smile. She had been holding out on telling Loki about the origin of Christmas. The problem was, you really couldn't talk about Christmas and not finish it with Easter. She was more than a little nervous, laying it all out for Loki. She was worried that she would say the wrong thing.

As she explained the religious background for Christmas, Loki felt goosebumps cover his arms as he began to make connections. It felt like a tickle in the back of his brain, as though missing puzzle pieces were clicking together.

When Darcy talked about free will, he remembered when he first kidnapped Darcy and was bent on regaining the scepter and making thralls of all who opposed him. Darcy had told him that one willing follower was worth a million mindless toy soldiers.

When she talked of divine love being manifested in an ultimate sacrifice, he flashed back to the first time he met Darcy and she proved that Odin loved him because he sacrificed his political standing to save him from the Jotuns.

He recalled Darcy's message of infinite redemption, when she'd told him that there was always a way back when there was love.

When Darcy talked about mercy and grace, he remembered watching "Schindler's List" with her and the argument between the Nazi captain, Goeth, and Schindler, where Goeth asserted that control was power and Schindler countered that mercy was.

When Darcy had finished, she was trembling slightly, worried that she hadn't said the right words, expressed it the right way.

Loki cocked his head to the side, "All this time, nearly a year, you've been telling me about this, but just not with these words."

Darcy smiled. "I guess I was, without even realizing it. It's a part of who I am, how I view and interact with the world."

On Asgard, bravery and honor were the most highly esteemed virtues. While humility and mercy were considered positive attributes, no one ever wrote epic poems about them or sung ballads extolling their worth. The concept of showing kindness and love to one's enemies seemed, quite literally, alien to Loki, although, he now grasped how Darcy was able to deftly negotiate with even the most contentious of delegates. The idea that redemption and grace were so highly valued by Darcy shook him to his core. After months of marriage, he finally felt like he understood his wife.

000000

On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, Loki and Darcy returned to Midgard. Negotiations with the Jotuns were at a tricky stage and they would have less than 48 hours before they would have to return to Asgard for yet another meeting between two competing factions.

When Darcy's mother opened the door to greet them, Darcy blanched when she saw what was hanging in the entryway.

"Mom, could you move that away?" Darcy asked.

"Darcy, is there a problem?" Loki asked.

Darcy looked down, feeling nervous, "I forgot to tell my mom not to have mistletoe in the house. It's a custom for Christmas."

Loki looked at her quizzically, "And why are you concerned about mistletoe?"

Darcy began to fidget, "It's just that . . . there's a myth that you got Thor's brother, Baldr, killed with a mistletoe arrow."

"Is there? Well, my dear, there's a myth that I gave birth to Odin's eight-legged horse, but you don't see me avoiding the stables, now do you?" Loki snarked.

"So, it isn't true?" Darcy asked with a smile.

"Neither one," Loki said with a chuckle. "Now, what is your custom with mistletoe?"

Darcy blushed. By then, her entire extended family had squeezed into the entryway to see their exchange. "When two people are under the mistletoe, they have to kiss."

"Well, then, we must follow these charming Midgardian customs," Loki said and with that, he dipped Darcy until she was nearly parallel with the ground and kissed her soundly.

When she finally came up for air, her whole family began to clap and cheer.

"And that's how we do it on Asgard," Loki said smugly as he straightened his tie and gave Darcy's family a wink.

Darcy nodded, still a bit woozy. Mental note, she thought, take mistletoe back home to Asgard and place it in every doorway of the palace.

0000

Once again, it fell to Loki to entertain his nieces and nephews with magic tricks while the rest of the relatives put together a lovely Christmas Eve dinner. The smell was truly mouth-watering and he had a hard time paying attention to all of the various children. Luckily, dinner was ready soon.

After eating their fill, Loki and his male relatives once again "cleaned" the kitchen by having Loki magically tidy up while the rest of them ate a second helping of Christmas cookies. As soon as they were done, the entire family began to pile into the various vehicles for Christmas Eve service.

Luckily for Loki, the service began with songs that he had heard ad nauseum during the previous month and he was able to easily join in with the rest of the audience. He thought it odd to have so many people singing at one time. On Asgard, there were professional singers who would sing love ballads or songs recounting victorious battles for entertainment at the great feasts and banquets. And, also, on occasion, there were drinking songs that people indulged in when they were at taverns. But, this was different. The lyrics weren't soaring epics or bawdy jests. There was a sweetness and earnestness in the crowd that bewildered him.

In addition to the singing, the leader (which Darcy called a "pastor") recounted the Christmas narrative that Darcy had previously told him. Afterwards, a group of children reenacted several of the scenes with various levels of enthusiasm and accuracy. He was surprised to see most of his own nieces and nephews taking part, including the eldest nephew, Jed, holding a staff as a wiseman. He looked nervous and Loki made sure to flash him an encouraging smile when he looked out at the audience.

The service finished with a few more songs and then it was time to head back to the house. Loki rode back to the house with Jed and reassured him that he had done a splendid job and that no one had noticed that he had forgotten his line.

Once they returned, and put the little ones to bed, he watched his in-laws scurry about, filling the stockings and placing gifts under the tree. After a few cups of hot cocoa, Darcy said she was tired, so they went to bed early.

000000

The next morning, Loki was surprised to see that, in addition to the children, both he and Darcy had stockings that had been filled by "Santa". He suspected that it was Darcy's mother, but he didn't want to ruin the illusion for his nieces and nephews. Inside were various candies and sweets, including chocolate, which Loki had to admit was a wonderful Midgardian treat that he indulged in whenever he was visiting.

The adults exchanged names instead of buying everyone a gift, so Darcy got her sister-in-law a beautiful engraved bracelet covered in emeralds. She was overjoyed and enthusiastically hugged them both. Loki knew that Darcy's brother loved to hunt so he got him a handcrafted hunting knife made by the dwarves, who were renowned for their craftsmanship. His eyes widened with joy when he opened it.

Darcy got a bottle of her favorite perfume from her sister and she was ecstatic since she had just run out the week before. Loki got several pounds of coffee from his sister-in-law to his delight. Coffee was a completely Midgardian delicacy. There was no equivalent on Asgard. He blamed Darcy for the fact that he became a coffee addict and that he grew surly when it ran out.

Darcy and Loki had no gifts for each other since they had decided to exchange gifts on Asgard when they had a post-Christmas celebration with Jane and Thor. Darcy was glad for the few extra days since she was having a hard time thinking of a gift for Loki.

The children's presents were much easier to figure out. Darcy and Loki got their baby niece an engraved silver rattle. They brought the rest of the children wooden shields and swords with the royal Asgardian crest on them. Loki had wanted to give the nieces fine Asgardian silk dresses, but Darcy decided it was a better idea to get them all the same gift. Although, she did bring her crown on each visit to let them try it on. Loki always winced to see a five thousand year old heirloom perched precariously on the head of a three year old.

After every present was unwrapped and all the wrapping paper thrown away, the children began to play with their toys. Loki noticed with satisfaction that they ignored all of the electronic gifts from the rest of the family and only wanted to play with their swords and shields, much to their mothers' chagrin. Since it was a warmish Southern California day, the children were ushered outside after the first lamp was broken, and Loki was put in charge of supervising them since Darcy's sister and brother-in-law began working on creating a truly scrumptious brunch. Darcy offered to help, but she was shooed away. She joined Loki outside and brought him a cup of coffee.

"Thank you, my dear," Loki said, letting the warm brew calm him.

"Sorry that we got stuck on babysitting duty," Darcy said.

"It's their revenge for the swords," Loki said ruefully.

"Yeah, well, the kids like them," Darcy countered.

"That they do," Loki said.

"So, about those myths. . . are they all false?"

"Most of them, I'm afraid. I've led an interesting life and had many adventures, but nothing approaching the fictions that have been spread about me," Loki replied.

"So, no monster children lurking about?" Darcy asked carefully.

"Not that I know of," Loki replied offhandedly.

Darcy raised an eyebrow at that.

"My dear, I've been around for a thousand years. I am sure that if I sired a monster, I would have found out about it by now."

"What do you think about kids?" Darcy asked.

"Our nieces and nephews are delightful. I've told you that," Loki said as he took a sip, eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement.

"That's great. It really is, but, I mean, your own kids," Darcy said delicately.

Loki paused. This was a conversation that they definitely should have had months ago, before getting married. It was one of the biggest sources of guilt that he had.

"Darcy," he began and took a big breath, setting the coffee down. He took her hands in his and looked her straight in the eyes."Since I am Jotun and you are Midgardian, I am not entirely sure that you and I could . . . . "

Darcy cut him off, beginning to get excited, "But if we could, you'd want children?"

"Of course, my dear, nothing would make me happier."

"I am so, so glad to hear that," she replied.

"Why?"

At that, Darcy cocked an eyebrow and gave him a knowing look.

"No," he began. "Really?"

She nodded.

"When did this happen?" he asked, incredulous.

"I think around Halloween. I blame either the costumes or the sugar rush from all the candy."

Loki remembered Darcy's Halloween costume and was certain that it was to blame. "And when will the baby arrive?"

"Mid-July, more or less."

He picked her up and twirled her around. "Oh, my sweet Darcy. You have made me the happiest man in the Nine Realms."

"Shush, I don't want to tell anyone else just yet. I want it to be a surprise."

Loki nodded and then grew concerned. "Is it entirely safe to travel back and forth from Asgard to Midgard in your condition?'

"I wondered that, too. I asked Heimdall and he said there would be no 'ill effects' in his words."

"Heimdall knew before me?" Loki asked, more than a little upset.

"Heimdall knows everything before you. He's Heimdall," Darcy replied.

"You do have a point," Loki admitted.

"Do you think. . . ," he began, but he was cut off as Darcy ran to the middle of the yard to break up the 4 and 5 year old cousins who had decided to forgo any attempt at sparring and settled for hitting each other in the head with their swords. As he saw her deftly separate the two, he felt a surge of pride. That was his Darcy, his bride, the mother of his child.

0000

After a delectable brunch, the clean-up once again fell to Loki, although this time, he didn't bother to pretend that he was actually doing the cleaning, but just whisked it all away magically in front of the whole group as they clapped. Afterwards, his mother-in-law came up to him and gave him a tight hug. "Sweetie, with skills like that, I am never going to let you go home," she said with a wink.

Loki broke out with a genuine smile.

Then, came the traditional Christmas movie, It's a Wonderful Life. The oddest thing occurred. Darcy, her mother, sister and sister-in-law spent the entire movie weeping. And not only during the sad parts, but also during the joyful sections, in anticipation for the upcoming melancholy scenes. He tried to follow the plot, but between the constant wailing on either side of him and the out-dated Midgardian references, he was hopelessly lost. When he mentioned it to Darcy, she told him not to worry, that he would be watching that movie with her family for the next forty years or so and eventually he'd get the hang of it.

After the movie, they ate a relatively simple dinner and then broke out the "Jesus birthday cake". When Loki questioned Darcy about the dessert, she told him that unlike many things associated with Christmas that he'd experienced, this was a tradition unique to Darcy's family, rather than a widespread custom. On December 25th, after the last meal of the day, they would sing "Happy Birthday" and eat cake. The children were delighted by it as they had helped Darcy's mother decorate it earlier that day.

After cake and the endless rounds of hugs and handshakes, Darcy and Loki were finally ready to return to Asgard.

"I know that it's been hard popping down to Earth to celebrate all of these holidays, so don't worry, we can celebrate Valentine's Day on Asgard," Darcy said as they got ready to leave.

"That would be lovely, my dear, " Loki said absentmindedly.

Then, Loki stopped short. "And what is Valentine's Day?," he asked suspiciously.

Darcy smiled, "I can't wait!"

* * *

**Author's Note-** First off, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed "Loki's First Christmas". I want to thank all of the readers who have been so encouraging about this series. Let me know if you'd like to read "Loki's First Valentine's Day" about Loki dealing with Valentine's Day and a pregnant Darcy on Asgard.

**A/N** - I used the term "audience" instead of congregation for the Christmas Eve service since the scene is from Loki's POV.


End file.
